Contributors

Inflammatory arthritis are a group of debilitating joint diseases that is a growing concern with the aging population. Inflammation within joint spaces promotes tissue degradation as well as prevents pluripotent stem cells from regenerating damaged tissue. In this study, researchers knocked out the receptor for IL-2 using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system and assessed inflammatory response. Cells with homozygous knockout of the receptor showed a decrease in cytokine-mediated tissue damage and downstream signaling compared with heterozygous knockouts. This is a proof-of-concept study showing the ability to develop inflammatory-resistant cells, cartilage in this case, and encourages its application in regenerative medicine going forward.